


crisscrossing through

by colorfulmagic



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: M/M, and being a disaster bisexual, being a dad, but im rly proud of it, hakoda has two modes, this is possibly the fluffiest thing ive ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-21
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-28 04:27:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30133959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colorfulmagic/pseuds/colorfulmagic
Summary: Hakoda goes to a dinner party and gets a little more than he bargained for when he meets the hosts handsome brother, Bato.
Relationships: Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Hakoda & Katara (Avatar), Hakoda & Sokka (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 14
Collections: MMEU Spring Equinox Exchange 2021





	crisscrossing through

**Author's Note:**

  * For [leoperidot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/leoperidot/gifts).



> for kit, who wanted a bakoda & atka parents au
> 
> for the purposes of this fic, nanuq (batos nephew!) sokka and katara are all around the same age :)

“Dad,” a small voice came from beyond the bed. “Dad, wake up, look what I have.” Hakoda cracked an eye open and instantly jerked back, limbs tangling in the sheets. Sokka's small face grinned up at him, inordinately pleased as he held up to Hakoda’s face a very large, very wiggly spider. 

“Sokka,” Hakoda said, struggling to blink his eyes open. “What have we said about spiders?”

Sokka frowned. “We never had any rule about spiders,” he insisted. “You said, no insects in the house but Dad spiders aren't insects, they’re arachnids. I read about it in my Science Now magazine, they're part of the class arachnida.” he said the last two words slowly, as though he had practiced them. 

“Good word,” Hakoda said, and Sokka beamed. “From now on, no arachnids in the house, okay?” 

“But he’s so cute!” Hakoda stared at the wiggling monstrosity in his son's hands. Eight gleaming eyes stared back. 

“Yes,” Hakoda said. “He's adorable. But he belongs outside, in his home. How would you feel if someone stole you from your nice warm bed one day? Not good, right?”

“I guess not,” Sokka said, looking down. “M sorry,” he said, bottom lip jutting out. “He was just on the porch, an’ I know you said not to go outside if you weren't there--”

“It’s okay baby. I’m awake now, why don’t we go together?” That lit Sokka’s face up again, and soon enough they were outside, letting the spider back into the bush which Sokka had presumably snatched it from. It was only 6:05, the sun slowly making its way over the horizon and filtering its soft rays over the porch. Their front porch was absolutely covered in flora, because Katara was going through a plant phase and seemed to return home each day with a new idea for a flower she simply had to grow. Hakoda had drawn the line at growing cacti in their house, and so the porch was their compromise. 

Sokka being awake meant Katara would soon follow and sure enough, it was only ten minutes later that Hakoda heard them moving around in the bathroom, sleepy early morning bickering filtering through the house. Hakoda was in a good mood so he made pancakes, sprinkling in chocolate chips as Sokka and Katara burst into the kitchen. They still had an hour before he needed to drop them off to school, so they ate while Sokka told them all about his school science fair project. The drive to school was uneventful, but for Hakoda it was his favorite time of the day. At least, until it meant he reached his least favorite time of the day. 

“You two have fun in school today, okay?” he said fretfully, crouching down and adjusting the hair tie on Sokka’s wolf tail. “Katara, remember to turn in your permission slip for the field trip, and Sokka good luck on your spelling test today--”

“Aapa, we’ll be fine,” Katara insisted. 

“Okay, okay. Love you both,”’ he interspersed the words with a kiss on the top of their heads, grinning at Katara’s obvious impatience, “look out for each other and be good.”

“Love you.”

“Love you Aapa!”

They left, and just like that Hakoda was alone. He left the building slowly, reminding himself he would see them again soon. On the way out he saw Atka, waving at her across the parking lot and reminding him of what else was planned for today. Atka and him had quickly bonded when Hakoda was doing bake sale duty with her, and she had invited him to come over for dinner today, which he just so happened to be very nervous about. Hakoda didn’t really have many parent friends, as a rule, mainly because Kya and him had been so young when they had kids. Plus, no one really wanted to let their kids hang out with the kids of the tattoo artist single dad, a fact that Hakoda was slightly bitter about each time he thought about it. So tonight was a big deal to him, basically, and he didn’t want to screw it up. 

“What do you bring to dinner parties?” Hakoda asked Kyrna at some point between clients, fiddling with his sketchbook. He had just finished a consulting with a client who wanted a field of roses all along her back. “Flowers? Or like, a vase or something?”

“Definitely not a vase,” Kyrna said. “Is it like, a bunch of people or just you? Either way, wine would be good.”

“Just me. I can’t bring wine, there’ll be kids there!”

“Don’t give _them_ wine,” Kyrna snorted. “Give them like, apple juice, or whatever kids drink. Just you, huh?” he grinned. “Is someone going on a date?”

“Definitely not,” Hakoda said sternly as Kyrna wiggled his eyebrows. The day passed quickly. Hakoda had a booking for someone who got a huge constellation across their right arm, and two more consultations where he helped clients map out their ideas before finally the day was over. He stopped at a little brewery on his way to school, stepping in before realizing he had no idea on anything about wine. Finally he gave in and asked the girl at the counter, who seemed like she was about half a decade younger than him and still in college, which was more than a little humiliating. Still, she recommended a nice red wine which wasn’t too pricey, so he even forgave her for smirking when he told her where he was going. 

Arriving at Atka’s apartment with Sokka and Katara relatively dressed and alive was no small feat of work on his part, but he managed it. “Do you guys know where we’re going?” he asked, stepping into the elevator and making sure Katara didn’t trip. 

“Nanuq’s!” Sokka grinned. He was holding a little bottle of sparkling apple juice, because Hakoda hadn’t wanted the kids to show up empty handed. 

“Right,” Hakoda said. “And do you know the apartment number?” They shook their heads, so Hakoda boosted Katara into his arms, holding her next to the panel of buttons. “Can you press on the number five for me please?” Katara narrowed her eyes at the numbers, before finally firmly pressing the one she had deemed satisfactory. Thankfully it was number five, and Hakoda was knocking on Atka’s apartment door before long. 

“Hakoda,” Atka smiled, opening the door fully. “It’s so good to see you, come in--”

Her words were cut off by a small projectile zooming past him as Nanuq practically collided into Sokka and Katara, hugging them tightly with a big grin. “Hey guys!” he said, and Hakoda’s heart practically melted at how cute his voice was, all high and lispy. “Do you wanna come see my room!”

“Nanuq,” Atka said gently. “Say hello to Hakoda first.” Nanuq turned to him, all dimples and smiles. He had one of his front teeth missing, which somehow only added to his cuteness. 

“Hi Mr. Hakoda,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you. You can also see my room!” Hakoda laughed at that. Nanuq led them into the house, opening his closet door and showing them his lego death star, which Sokka thought was the coolest thing to exist ever, and some waterbending scrolls, which Katara thought was the most amazing thing to ever exist. Hakoda left when they finally started putting a puzzle together, which seemed to depict some kind of dinosaur. 

He took his time making his way to the kitchen where he could hear soft noises coming from. It was a small, tastefully decorated apartment, with a long orange couch lining the far wall and a small kitchen off to the side of the door, and a long hallway he could see by the seating area which led to the bedrooms. Large paintings hung from the wall and he wandered over to look at them, one immediately catching his eye. It was a seascape, but one unlike any he'd ever seen before. It was done at night, for one, the moonlight casting the lapping waves into relief, but more than that there was a certain hauntedness to it. He felt more than knew that the artist hadn't drawn this from his imagination but had been here, had tasted the salt on his tongue and breathed in the night air. His eyes darted towards the corner of the painting where a hastily scribbled “B” curved, as if the artist had almost forgotten to place it down. 

A soft cough filled the room and Hakoda jerked his head, seeing to his surprise a tall man about his age at the door frame. “Hi,” a deep voice said, “you’re Hakoda, right? Atka said you’d be coming.”

“Oh,” Hakoda said, confused, “yeah, you’re--”

“Bato,” he reached a hand out, smiling. Hakoda’s brain blanked for a second because _wow_ he was pretty. Exactly Hakoda’s type too, long silky black hair and tan skin. “I’m Atka’s brother, I live here,” he continued as Hakoda shook his hand. His hand was warm and roughly calloused. “Did Atka forget to mention I’d be here? Always so forgetful, I swear,” he shook his head fondly, finally dropping his grasp. Hakoda weirdly missed it. 

They made their way to the kitchen, where Atka was just pulling something from the oven. 

“Kids kick you out already?” Atka asked, grinning over her shoulder at him. 

“Ah yeah,” Hakoda smiled, leaning against a counter. “I left when they started talking about lightning mcqueen. For some reason no one wanted my opinion.”

“Do you have opinions on lightning mcqueen?” Bato asked interestedly. Hakoda rubbed the back of his head, sheepish. It had been a joke but--

“Yeah, actually. It’s a good movie,” he admitted. 

“Hakoda’s right,” Atka said, her head buried in the fridge looking for something. 

“Wow,” Bato said. “Is this what parenthood does to you? This is terrifying.”

“Oh shush, you try watching Cars twenty two times in a week without forming opinions,” Atka scolded. She pulled out an enormous bowl from the fridge, plopping it in Bato’s hands. “And just for that you can help by setting up the table.”

“Do you need any help?” Hakoda asked immediately, standing straight, but Atka merely shook her head, waving him away. 

“I’m pretty much done here anyway. You go sit down!”

He did, but not before handing the wine he brought over to her. “I’m sorry, I don’t know much about wine,” he said apologetically. Atka shrugged. 

“Neither do I,” she said. “But this one looks good.”

Dinner was amazing. The food was wonderful, and when he had asked he was surprised to learn that Bato had actually cooked most of the things there. “Runs in the family I guess,” he had said, referring to her baking, and Atka had smiled. 

“Actually, Bato used to cook most of my meals for me growing up. Most dishes I learned from him.”

“Well, not all,” Bato said. “There’s definitely a thing or two you picked up without me.” Atka pointed a finger at him threateningly. 

“You cannot keep holding my mayo pasta against me. I was in college, and _poor_ \--”

“Excuses, excuses,” Bato said. Hakoda laughed. It turned out all his worries had been for nothing. Atka was awesome, and Bato had a wry, gentle sense of humor that Hakoda loved. Nanuq, Katara, and Sokka kept up a steady stream of chatter in the background, sometimes joining in on the conversation. He learned that Atka worked as a nurse at a nearby hospital and that Bato owned a bookstore. He also learned that Nanuq was five, like Katara, and that he was a waterbender, also like Katara. They bonded over living so far away from the water tribe, and raising kids away from their culture without letting them lose it altogether. Bato had more to say than Hakoda had thought, and Hakoda got the sense that he played a bigger role in Nanuq’s life than his earlier parenthood comment had let on. 

It was all going smoothly right up until dessert, when Atka came back from the kitchen with her face twisted in frustration. “I just got a page from the hospital,” she said. “There’s been a pile up on fifth street, I need to go. I’m so sorry Hakoda, I really didn’t think this would happen.”

“It’s fine, I completely understand,” Hakoda said, though he was a little disappointed. “I can take the kids and go--”

“No no, stay,” Atka waved him off. “Bato will be here, don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I don’t want to be a bother.”

Finally she persuaded him to stay, running off to grab her keys and go. The kids had already disappeared back to Nanuq’s room, so it was just him and Bato relaxing on opposite sides of the small couch. The wine had already come out so they were just loose enough to relax, though nowhere near drunk. 

“Hey Bato,” Hakoda said, reading off the stick of the popsicle he had been working on. Both of their hands were sticky sweet. “Why are frogs never angry?” He grinned. “Because they eat whatever bugs them.” Bato groaned. “That one was pretty good!”

“If you have the sense of humor of a five year old, yeah.”

“Maybe only hanging out with five year olds has changed me for the worse,” Hakoda said thoughtfully. “I am a dad though. Might as well get the jokes to go with it.”

“You seem pretty young. Don’t have to lose all your youth yet. How old are you?”

“Twenty seven.”

“Same,” Bato grinned. “Look at us, old men already.” He shifted, wincing, then pulled out from the crack in the couch one of those electronic alphabet books, the kind that lit up and said the letters when you pressed them. Bato snorted. “Case in point.”

“It’s nice though, this thing you’ve got going on here. Most people wouldn’t do that for their siblings." 

“Me and Atka have always been super close,” Bato shrugged, swirling his wine around. “Growing up we were all we had. Our dad left when we were young and Mom was always working, so we learned to get by. Sorry, did I make it depressing?”

“You’re fine,” Hakoda said. “Same, about your dad, I mean. Mine died when I was little. Cancer.”

“Sucks, right?”

“I guess. My mom was always really strong though. She lived this really tough life-- her parents disowned her when she was young because she married someone they didn't like. She grew up with all these expectations for what she had to be, so when she moved here and had me, she never wanted me to feel like that. Um, she was the first person I came out to as bi,” he stuttered out, unsure of what Bato would do. 

Bato grinned, to his relief. “Atka was the first person I came out to as gay. I thought I was being so subtle, but of course she already knew by the time I finally got the courage to tell her.” Hakoda laughed at that, tension releasing out of his shoulders. 

“Honestly, Mom was more annoyed about the tattoo artist thing then the gay thing,” Hakoda said. “Tunniit, she’s fine with, but this seemed like a bit much to her,” he raised his hand a bit, tattoos peeking out from the cuff of his shirt. 

“Can I see?” Bato asked, interested and Hakoda blinked, slightly thrown off. “You don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable.” 

“No, it’s okay.” He had worn a white button up, so he undid the cuff, rolling his sleeve back to reveal inked skin underneath. Bato shifted closer to see better, thigh brushing against Hakoda’s. Hakoda’s breath hitched, all at once aware of just how gorgeous Bato really was. 

“They’re beautiful,” Bato murmured. 

“Mmm,” Hakoda said, slightly dazed from the scent of him. “I, ah, designed them,” he said, clearing his throat. It was something he had worked on for a while, a stylized wolf trailing its way up his arm with other designs worked in around it. 

“Artistic, too.” 

"You’re one to talk. That was your painting up there, wasn’t it?” Hakoda siad, because the pieces had started to click together. 

“Caught me,” Bato smiled. “You looked so engrossed when I came out, I didn’t want to say anything.” 

“You sell books though.”

“Art doesn’t really pay well. And I’ve always loved literature. Honestly my favorite part is all the events we have, all the queer kids always come. I think they like the fact that I have a huge rainbow flag on the window,” he said, amused. Hakoda laughed. 

“That’s sweet though, that they have that. It’s something I wish I could have had as a kid.”

“Me too. That’s why I like living here, the culture is so different from the smaller towns. Nanuq can go to an accelerated school, make friends with kids like him. Your kids seem really great,” Bato said sincerely. 

“So does Nanuq,” Hakoda said honestly. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, sipping on their wine and lost in thought. 

“Hey,” Bato said suddenly. “You wanna play Mario Kart?” 

It turned out Bato was extremely good at Mario Kart. Bato destroyed him every time, but Hakoda was having so much fun he didn’t much mind. The bright colors and noises were soothing, and Bato got first place every time, Hakoda evening out at a respectable seventh. He was so engrossed in the game he didn’t even notice the time. That was until he looked at his phone. He jumped up from his seat, aghast. 

“It’s so late, I’m sorry,” he said, picking his coat up. “I need to get the kids to bed.”

“Oh, damn,” Bato said, glancing at the clock. “Yeah, let me clear this up. I’ll be right behind you.”

Hakoda left the room, quietly cracking open the door to Nanuq’s room. He put his hand over his mouth, resisting the urge to let out a very undignified sound at the adorable sight before him. Sokka, Katara and Nanuq were all piled together, in the middle of the room, heads tilted together and snoring. Sokka had his arm drawn protectively over the two younger kids, and Katara’s face was adorably scrunched up next to Nanuq’s leg. They had clearly played until they had exhausted themselves. He took a picture with his phone, and he felt Bato come from behind him. 

“Can you send that to me?” he whispered, and Hakoda nodded, handing his phone over to Bato to put his number in. Bato thumbed it in quickly, handing it back to him. Hakoda sent the picture, and Bato’s phone dinged from his pocket. 

“And, uh,” Bato said, running his hand through his hair. “If you wanted to text me later too, that would be, uh, nice.”

Hakoda grinned, suddenly delighted. “Oh yeah?” he said. “Nice, huh?” Bato blushed. 

“Yes,” he said. 

“I’ll definitely take you up on that. We can get dinner sometime, maybe.”

“Right,” Bato said. “As friends?”

“If you want. I was thinking more like a date, though.”

“Sounds good,” Bato choked out. Hakoda grinned again, extremely pleased with himself. He went and picked up Katara from the carpet, seeing Bato do the same with Nanuq. He stroked his hand over Katara’s hair, pushing one of her undone braids behind her ear. With his other arm, he managed to pick Sokka up with some difficulty, tucking his small head underneath his chin. Strange, how the two pieces of his heart could fit so neatly in his arms, when it felt as though it should be bursting out of his chest with the force of his love. He turned around, giving Bato a soft smile, and Bato’s returning one filled his chest with warmth. 

“We’ll talk soon?” Hakoda said at the door, soft because both of them were holding sleeping children. 

“Definitely,” Bato whispered, brushing his free hand over Hakoda’s still bare forearm. Hakoda nodded, finally turning around. He left the apartment with his heart in both of his arms and hummingbirds under his skin.

**Author's Note:**

> hey kit, hope you enjoyed!


End file.
